I know that it’s been a rather long time since I last posted anything here. For that I’m sorry to you, my friends and readers. And that’s as much as you’re going to get. :-)
As you all know, the end of last year was a difficult one for me and mine. I debated with myself for a while as to whether or not I was going to share it here with you. I decided that I would. After all, there are lessons and thoughts that can be taken from the experience. So, today will be a bit more personal post than I’ve done in the past. See…all this actually happened to me. :-)
First, a little history…I separated from my wife last May. (That would be 2008) It was for the best for everyone involved. Well…long story short, I filed for divorce and full custody of our son, Caleb, the beginning of November. And sadly, on November 19th, my sons’ mother died. As I said…it was a difficult end of the year. And then came the fallout from that event. My 12 year old stepson is now living with his father in Mississippi and Caleb is now with me. There were several ramifications for various family members, some of which are still affecting them daily.
So…what’s this got to do with a profound thought for the day?
How about this? Be thankful for what you have…no matter how small the blessing, it’s still a blessing to you. :-)
See, I’m starting to figure some things out for myself. I’m seeing that I’m not really all that bad off. I have my son, beautiful and challenging and the king of my heart. I have a job and while it might not be the most stable job (whose is?) it does pay the bills and keep food in our tummies. I wake up every morning and can get out of bed without too much trouble (most days) and usually I feel pretty good throughout the whole day.
I don’t have to worry about a radical militant army coming to take either me or my son away to fight for them, nor do I have to worry too much about whether or not I will have enough food for my son to grow up in a healthy way. These are DAILY concerns for some people in this wonderful world of ours. And I KNOW that I’m blessed to not have to worry about them.
I have friends (no REALLY I do!), some very dear to me, that occasionally call or email just to see how we’re doing. And even keep me focused on the things that REALLY matter in life.
And one of the most important things, I think, is that I can and do laugh each and every day. Let me tell you that some days it seems almost impossible to laugh, but somehow, someone that cares about me gets it out of me.
Is life hard for me today? Damn straight. But in all honesty, no more than it was before. My perspective has changed in a lot of ways, some for the better and some worse. The world is, in some ways, a much different place today than it was a year ago. But I find it funny that the difficulties that I had a year ago are still there for the most part. Some have new faces, but they are really the same old shite.
So what do we all do now? You’ve heard me say it before…
We keep putting one foot in front of the other. Dealing with the things that life hands you and making the very best of each and every situation you find yourself in. Keep your chin up and know that you have the strength to deal with anything.
And for me and mine…we’ll follow the wise saying from Monty Python…and
“Always look on the bright side of life!”
– The Life of Brian - Monty Python
Peace, love, and happiness to you all. :-)
